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Planet Harris
Previously a barren world, Harris was the object of one of the first large-scale terraforming efforts by Planetform, Inc. Initiated in 450 AS, the project was made easier by the abundance of pure Water and Oxygen ice in the system, while Terraforming Gases were easily transported by Bowex from the Stokes Mining Station in nearby Leeds. Harris was originally scheduled for colonization in 820 AS, but the project has recently suffered a series of setbacks due to attacks by Gaian terrorists. Infocard *LOCATION: Tau 31 system *OWNER: Planetform *DIAMETER: 23,118 km. *MASS: 8.76 x 10e24 kg. *TERRAIN: Transitional *TEMPERATURE: -35°C to 48°C *ESCAPE VELOCITY: 16.78 km/sec Ships For Sale *Rheinland 203-ARM-B5 Humpback Freighter Commodities Buying *Alien Organisms - $1,300 *Silver - $560 Commodities For Sale *Food Rations - $90 *H-Fuel - $270 *Oxygen - $15 *Water - $33 Guns For Sale *Adv Stunpulse *Flashpoint *Heavy Starbeam Turrets For Sale *Adv. Starbeam Turret *Debilitator Turret Missiles For Sale *Catapult Missile *Moonstalker Missile *Slingshot Missile *Sweeper Missile *Windstalker Missile Shields For Sale *Adv. Cuisse Fr. Shield *Adv. Cuisse H.F. Shield *Adv. Cuisse L.F. Shield *Adv. Pourpoint Fr. Shield *Adv. Pourpoint H.F. Shield *Adv. Pourpoint L.F. Shield *Cuisse Fr. Shield *Cuisse H.F. Shield *Cuisse L.F. Shield *Pourpoint Fr. Shield *Pourpoint H.F. Shield *Pourpoint L.F. Shield Torpedo/Cruise Disruptors For Sale *Starkiller Torpedo Launcher *Wasp Cruise Disruptor Mine Dispensers For Sale *Driller Mine *Razor Mine *Tadpole Mine *Wardog Mine Other Equipment *Adv. Countermeasure Dropper *Advanced Thruster Terraforming Instability? According to rumors, Harris is showing signs of "outgassing", meaning that no matter how much oxygen Planetform Inc. pumps into Harris' atmosphere, it will eventually revert back to its original pre-terraforming condition. It is uncertain what the exact cause of this outgassing is. By comparison, Harris has about 46% more mass than Planet Manhattan (and thus has more gravity to keep the atmosphere "glued" to the planet); however, its diameter is 81% larger, possibly mitigating this effect somewhat at the surface. Not discussed in either case is the status of volcanism or the relative strengths of the geomagnetic fields of the planets, or the relative strength of the solar wind in the New York and Tau-31 systems. If Harris has a weak magnetic field, and the solar wind is strong enough in Tau-31, the atmosphere could be largely stripped from the planet regardless of its stronger gravitational pull. However, if the solar wind in Tau-31 was the cause of outgassing, one would expect Planet Harris to have a faint "tail", like a comet. Rumors From Others "The abundance of Water and Oxygen in this system made Harris a prime candidate for Planetform's magic. Those bloody Gaians certainly have made things more difficult than they should have been. Thankfully, the Bounty Hunters we hire kill more of them each day." - Planetform Sales Rep Jeff North, Holman Outpost "Soon our terraforming operations will be complete in Harris. We plan to meet our estimated time of completion in 820 AS. That will be a joyous day for Bretonia and all of Sirius. You might think of purchasing real estate there while the prices are still low." - Planetform Sales Rep Jeff North, Holman Outpost "The terraforming job at Harris is almost complete. Won't it be wonderful when Bretonia has another planet to grow Food on? Planetform, Inc. has only the best in mind for the people of Bretonia and all of Sirius." - Gary Bass, Planetform, Freeport 6 "Those miserable Gaians do not realize how badly they are hurting the people of Bretonia. They have slowed down our operations immeasurably in Tau-31. The Gaian spin doctors of Green Front won't be able to save them from the mob when the citizens realize what the Gaians have cost them." - Gary Bass, Planetform, Freeport 6 Base Rumors "Silver is a necessary and very expensive part of the terraforming process. It is used in our cloud-seeding operations. We have it shipped here from Canterbury." - Harris Bartender Barnaby Hale "Terraforming Gases help to create an environment that is capable of sustaining life on otherwise barren planets. The Gases we pump into Harris are shipped here from Stokes. - Harris Bartender Barnaby Hale "The most efficient way to get Water onto a planet's surface is to push ice asteroids into the atmosphere. Unfortunately, that is not possible here like it is in Edinburgh. Granted, there is an abundance of Ice and Oxygen in this system, which is very helpful, but it is not close enough to haul the asteroids directly." - Planetform Rep Gene Hawkins "We have Bounty Hunters working in this system. They are being well paid to dispose of our troubles with the Gaians. If it weren't for their attacks, this planet would be complete by now, and Bretonia could begin using Harris to supplement Cambridge as a Food source. This would alleviate the Food shortage problem that is facing our great colony." - Roger Fletcher, Planetform The money given to us by the Bretonian government to terraform Harris has already been used up. We would not have the funds to complete this project if we did not divert capital from other operations to this one. Luckily, we have been able to sell the government on terraforming more than one planet." - Planetform Rep Gene Hawkins, Planet Harris "There are signs that the terraforming process may be completely infeasible. Though we have been dumping Oxygen into this planet's atmosphere for centuries, our studies show that outgassing is beginning to occur. This means that no matter how much Oxygen we pump in, eventually Harris will revert back to its original condition." - Planetform Rep Gene Hawkins, Planet Harris "The original CEOs and board members who founded Planetform are all dead and gone, but before they died they became very wealthy. Their families are all part of the New London elite. I only hope that I can make my fortune and get out of the company before the government discovers what is truly going on." - Roger Fletcher, Planetform "We get the majority of our basic supplies from other bases in the Border Worlds, but Mining and Construction Machinery is shipped in from Leeds. Terraforming is a heavy duty industry; we are creating life." - Planetform Rep Gene Hawkins Category:Planets Category:Border Worlds